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Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland

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Auckland, New Zealand
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Book online or call: (888) 651-9785(888) 651-9785
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Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland
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Up to 24 hours in advance
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icon11 hours  (Approx.)
Hotel pickup offered
Mobile ticket
iconOffered in: English and 4 more
Keeping you safe during COVID-19
What you can expect during your visit
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
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Safety precautions are provided by the tour operator and are not checked by Viator for accuracy
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Overview

Go on a Hobbiton tour from Auckland and see the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, starting with a scenic drive through New Zealand’s North Island aboard a luxury coach. You’ll be enthralled by the illuminated Glowworm Grotto during an underground boat ride on the Waitomo River. Then pose for photos in front of hobbit holes at the Hobbiton Movie Set, home to Bilbo Baggins from ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogies. End your tour in Rotorua or return to Auckland; picnic lunch included.
  • Full-day tour from Auckland to two of New Zealand’s most magical sites
  • Take a boat ride to the glowworm grotto to see thousands of glowworms twinkling in the darkness
  • Enjoy a delicious lunch at the Green Dragon Inn
  • Explore the Hobbiton Movie Set, where parts of The Lord of the Rings movies were filmed
  • Have you photo taken in front of a hobbit hole!

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Optional drop-off in Rotorua makes this tour ideal for those traveling around the North Island.
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Morning snack
Transport by luxury coach
Lunch
Food and drinks, unless specified

Departure Point

102 Hobson Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Traveler pickup is offered
Hotel pick ups in most cases will be earlier. Please check with provider open til 8pm - Toll free within NZ 0800744487
If your pick up location is not on the supplied list please contact our reservations team 24 hours prior

Departure Time

8:00 AM

Return Details

Returns to original departure point
After hotel pickup in Auckland, enjoy a morning snack on board the luxury coach during a scenic drive through the North Island’s rolling hills and lush farmland. Listen to your guide’s commentary as you travel through the Waikato and King Country regions, and learn of the colonial history between British settlers and the Maori in Rangariri.

Upon arrival in Waitomo, you’re taken to the noteworthy Waitomo Caves for a guided tour. Descend underground into the limestone caverns to view stunning stalactites formed over centuries. Drift along the Waitomo River during a short boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto, where a breathtaking display of tiny illuminated lights glow in the darkness. Discover the mystery behind the luminescence of thousands of glowworms before enjoying a provided picnic lunch.  

Your day trip continues across the Kaimai Ranges toward Rotorua and onward to Matamata, where you’ll visit the Hobbiton Movie Set, a working sheep farm and significant filming location for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movie series, all of which were filmed throughout New Zealand. Discover how the site was transformed into JRR Tolkien’s The Shire — home of Bilbo Baggins and his fellow hobbits. Have your photo taken in front of a hobbit hole and see the pond, the Mill, the Green Dragon Inn and more. 

Your full-day tour ends in Rotorua or with a return to Auckland and drop-off at your hotel.
Itinerary
Stop At:  
GreatSights
This is the arrival and departure point for this tour
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Duration: 15 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
Stop At:  
Hobbiton Movie Set
Journey south through lush rural farmland to the Hobbiton Movie Set, hidden on private farmland near the town of Matamata. Here, the village of Hobbiton was carefully created in amazing detail as a film location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies. During your guided tour of this amazing location you’ll see sights like Hobbit holes, the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn, and learn how farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middle-earth. After exploring Hobbiton, tuck into a delicious lunch at the Green Dragon Inn.
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Duration: 2 hours 
Admission Ticket Included
Stop At:  
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
At the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves, take a 45-minute guided tour through impressive underground caverns and learn how stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone structures were formed over millions of years. Your tour includes a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto - glide silently along an underground river as you gaze at the twinkling glowworms overhead.
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Duration: 1 hour 
Admission Ticket Included
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Infant seats available
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
  • OPERATED BY GreatSights

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Learn more about cancellations.

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:
What is the policy on sanitization during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?
A:
The policies on sanitization are:

  • Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
  • Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
  • Gear/equipment sanitized between use
  • Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
See all safety measures taken by Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland.
Q:
What is the social distancing policy during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?
A:
The policy on social distancing is:

  • Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
See all safety measures taken by Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland.
Q:
What measures are being taken to ensure staff health & safety during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?
A:
The policies on staff health & safety are:

  • Guides required to regularly wash hands
  • Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
See all safety measures taken by Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland.
Q:
What is the maximum group size during Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland?
A:
This activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers.

See all safety measures taken by Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves Full Day Tour departing Auckland.

Traveler Photos

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Traveler Tips

  • "Please bring appropriate rain gear if need be and of course check the weather." See review
  • "The Waitomo Caves are breathtaking - nature at it's finest; just don't try to sneak any pictures as they get very angry." See review
  • "Don’t eat much breakfast, as the buffet lunch is excellent with a lot of options (a but rushed)." See review

Reviews

4.5
star-4.5
442 Reviews
5 stars
304
4 stars
99
3 stars
22
2 stars
7
1 star
10
Reviews by Viator travelers
Showing 1-10 of 442 reviews
star-5
Easy, fun day trip from Auckland
Carl_M
, Mar 2020
Perfect amount of spoken material on the bus from our driver/guide. Hobbiton was amazing. The only criticism was that the glowworm experience was pretty short, but it was a truly special view.
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star-5
Hobbiton and glow worm caves
Tom_A
, Mar 2020
Had a great day thanks to Bonnie who drove and acted as our guide for the day. Very knowledgeable about Auckland and kept us informed and all why she was driving.
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star-5
Hobbiton well worth the drive!
Jesse_H
, Feb 2020
Thought this was a great tour. Hobbiton was an awesome experience. Even for someone who isn't a huge lOTR fan, the set is worth the trip. Felt that we had plenty of time there, the included lunch and beer from the Green Dragon were great. Waitomo was a unique experience, I didn't enjoy it as much as Hobbiton but given the amount of driving for the day it's good to get a second site in. It's a lot of driving (probably somewhere between 6-7 hours on the bus) but there's no way around it if you want to see these sites from Auckland and the tour guide did a nice job giving tons and tons of information on what we were passing.
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star-5
A Must See!! A+++
Daniel_W
, Feb 2020
This is my 2nd time visiting Hobbiton and once again, still the best tour I've experienced in New Zealand. The set is so well maintained, the tour guides are extremely friendly and enthusiastic and the lunch is delicious and filling. I loved every moment of this tour.
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star-5
Great time out
powrider12
, Feb 2020
The tour gave enough time to enjoy both the Hobbiton Set and the Waitomo Caves. We didn't have to line up too much like other visitors. Informative driver explaining NZ, as we drove towards the destinations.
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star-5
One-way Auckland to Rotorua
lizkarel
, Jan 2020
Excellent tour with terrific guide/driver - Rafael. Arrangements for pickup and drop off were well explained and efficient.
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star-1
Not Worth
vnsareesh
, Jan 2020
Not worth the amount of money and travel time you spend to go and see this. I will not recommend as it takes almost 10 hours to go and come back
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star-5
Amazing opportunity
Thomsenr25
, Jan 2020
Absolutely loved every minute of the tour. Lunch was delicious. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.
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star-5
Excellent day tour
Passenger452791
, Jan 2020
The bus picked up at sky city. It was easy to check in. The morning was hobbiton and it was great. The guide for that portion really needed a microphone because we had trouble hearing her as it was a large group. The caves were breathtaking.
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star-4
Incredible Sights, Okay Driving
Adam M
, Dec 2019
First of all, go see Hobbiton. It's wonderful and I enjoyed it immensely. The glow worm cave was stunning, and I only wish our group was smaller (and that fewer people were having side conversations...). The only issue I have was with our second driver, who left his microphone on the entire last leg of the trip. We heard every bite, crunch, and guttural noise he made for about two hours, and it was excruciating. I could neither sleep nor read, and I believe other travelers felt similarly.
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